It takes a village | Elope to Sun Peaks

Alpine Images Photography

Your wedding is a time to celebrate the love between you and your partner and how you chose to celebrate is completely up to you. For some people it’s by being surrounded by large group of family and friends. And for others, it’s not.

If you find the latter more appealing Sun Peaks can be the perfect choice perfect for an elopement.

“The main thing is a wedding is for the bride and groom,” said Gemma Harris, owner and principal photographer of Alpine Images Photography, based in Sun Peaks. “It should be about what they want and up here we can make most things happen.”

She’s speaking from a place of experience having played photographer and even legal witness for upwards of twenty elopements in the mountain community.

The community is a one-stop-shop when it comes to organizing the events with business owners and vendors like Harris ready to go above and beyond to make the day memorable.

“I love photographing elopements because you’re not just there in a work capacity,” said Harris. “You’re signing peoples witness forms for them, sometimes you’re doing their hair, you’re pinning on the boutonnieres if they have them, you’re their extra set of eyes. You kind of become their mini family for however many hours or how much time you’re with them.”

In Harris’s experience about 70 per cent of eloping couples at Sun Peaks have been from out of the country, meaning brides and grooms typically are visiting for the first time and are relying on community members rich in experience to support them in creating the elopement trip of their dreams.

“So while they’re up here they’ve got the opportunity to spend time together, whether it’s summer or winter, whether it’s doing the activities, having time at the spa, checking out the restaurants or strolling in the village for walk, there’s so many different things people can do while they’re here,” she explained.

Harris recognized that Sun Peaks offers couples a unique destination experience with a plethora of activities and options and many couples chose to follow their ceremony with an activity to mark the occasion.

“Often, in the winter time, they’ll be going skiing or they will be dog sledding or they’ll be going for a carriage ride,” said Harris.

Whether you’re looking for a private moment to say “I do,” or a mountaintop adventure to mark the occasion, Sun Peak’s community is ready to make all your elopement dreams come true.